Australia cricket captain and vice-captain banned for ball-tampering

28th March 2018

Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner have been banned for 12-months for ball-tampering. Cricket Australia charged the players with a number of breaches which included knowing of or developing a plan to artificially alter the condition of the ball.

Cameron Bancroft, who carried out the plan by attempting to alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper, was given a nine-month ban.

In addition Smith and Bancroft have also been suspended from captaining Australia for at least the next two years. Warner will not be considered for "any team leadership positions in the future". The players remain eligible for club competition both inside and outside of Australia, but earlier on Wednesday Smith and Warner were also banned from this season's Indian Premier League.

The body's chief executive James Sutherland said "This has caused damage to the game as a whole and certainly to Cricket Australia. It has compromised the fans' faith in cricket”.

Cricket Australia had already concluded that coach Darren Lehmann was not involved in the controversy and he will remain in his post.